Graduate Training

Applying for Graduate School

We (Drs. Levin and Twohig) both regularly interview for graduate students to join the USU ACT Research Group. It's recommended you contact us if you are interested in applying to make sure one or both of us are interviewing for students' and just to touch bases. We don’t meet with applicants prior to interviews, but we can confirm if we are taking a student for this coming year.

Please browse the materials posted on this website to get more of a feel for the labs and the work being done.

Our group is especially looking for students to join who are:
  • Passionate about and focused on clinical research.
  • Interested in Acceptance & Commitment Therapy.
  • Interested in studying mechanisms of change and components.
  • Interested in bringing a contextual behavioral science approach to research.

We review each application holistically, but successful applicants who are admitted in the research lab typically have at least one of the following:
  • A strong research record (e.g., presented at a national conference, conducted a research study they conceptualized, worked in a grant-funded research lab as a professional RA, authored one or more publications).
  • Prior experience with ACT (e.g., completed an ACT training, attended an ACBS conference, worked on an ACT-related research study, engaged in applied work using ACT).
  • A well articulated research focus that fits well with the lab and involves ACT.
 
Applicants regularly apply to work with both of us, but this is not required and ultimately you will be accepted with a primary advisor of either Dr. Levin or Dr. Twohig.
  • Students who are a better fit for Dr. Levin are typically interested in self-guided ACT interventions and technology-based research methods.
  • Students who are a better fit for Dr. Twohig are typically interested in studying ACT for OCD and related disorders (e.g., trichotillomania, tic disorders), anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and audiology.

We only take graduate students through applications to the Combined Clinical/Counseling Psychology Ph.D. program at USU. To learn more about how to formally apply to the USU Clinical/Counseling Ph.D. program and about our program more broadly, please visit https://psychology.usu.edu/academics/grad/clinical-counseling/index.

Resources for Students Planning to Apply for Graduate School

There are excellent online resources to learn more about deciding on applying to graduate school, how to prepare for applying and build a competitive CV, and similar topics. Here are a few we’d especially recommend:

Training Opportunities for Graduate Students at USU

Graduate students in our lab get a number of opportunities for advanced training in ACT and intervention research. This includes:
  • Research Opportunities - We recommend you review this website to learn more about various work we are doing on ACT from more basic theoretical research on components and processes of change to clinical trials in a variety of specific problem areas and formats. You will get a lot of opportunities to collaborate and conduct ACT research as a graduate student in our group.
  • The USU Anxiety Practicum - This practicum is supervised by Dr. Twohig, where graduate students receive training and supervision on how to treat a range of anxiety disorders and other mental health problems using ACT. We have multiple clinical assistantships available through this practicum, providing the opportunity to receive ACT training in a more intensive format, as part of your funding, and across multiple years if desired.
  • Other ACT practicum experiences - Many of the other practicum at USU are familiar with and offer opportunities to further learn and implement ACT with clients across diverse populations and settings.
  • Graduate seminar on ACT - Dr. Twohig teaches an ACT seminar course that can count towards one of your program required electives. This course provides general education and practical training on implementing ACT as well as a paper writing assignment that often leads to a published manuscript (e.g., reviewing the literature on ACT in a particular area).
  • Graduate courses taught from a CBS perspective - Drs. Levin and Twohig both teach one of the first-year grad courses for the clinical/counseling program including Lifespan Psychpathology and Evidence-Based Practice. These courses are taught from a Contextual Behavioral Science perspective, the scientific strategy underlying ACT, and although not ACT focused, provide additional opportunities to learn about our underlying approach to psychopathology and treatment.
  • ACT Workshops - Our group hosts two workshops each year designed to train professionals in ACT. These are regularly taught by Dr. Twohig, with the opportunity for graduate students to help cofacilitate the training and gain skills in training others in ACT. We also regularly have visiting ACT trainers, providing you with the opportunity to learn more about advanced ACT topics from leaders in the field.
  • Networking With Other ACT Researchers and Trainers - Our research group regularly has visiting ACT researchers and trainers in-person or online. You will get a lot of opportunities to meet leaders in the field researching and providing training in ACT.
  • Collaborating faculty - Drs. Levin and Twohig collaborate with a number of other faculty at USU who share an interest in ACT and related research topics. This includes translational work integrating ACT with basic behavior analytic research and applying ACT to other populations such as in schools, audiology, and chronic health conditions,
  • Broader training in CBS and Behavior Analysis - USU includes a strong behavior analysis program and other professors who share an interest in CBS and broader behavioral approaches. You will get a lot of opportunities to gain exposure to and interact with professionals who share similar underlying philosophical assumptions and approaches to science, helping you gain a stronger expertise in the CBS approach that underlies ACT.

How Our Group Works

Our research lab is one large group with two supervisors: Dr. Levin and Dr. Twohig. We really function as an integrated whole as we conduct research, graduate student training, and related activities.

Some general features of the group structure/processes worth noting are:
  • You still would have one primary adviser and chair for your thesis and dissertation (either Dr. Levin or Dr. Twohig). This is your primary contact person and mentor for your graduate training. Although, there are more cases where the project falls in the middle of Drs. Twohig and Levin’s specialties and both will be heavily involved on the project.
  • You have flexibility in how much you work with both Drs. Twohig and Levin - you might mostly work with just one of them or you might work both fairly equally. There aren't any requirements or set expectations, but the default options and opportunities ensure you get a lot of chances to work with both faculty.
  • You will have a lot of opportunities to collaborate on research and writing projects across the lab.
  • We meet weekly as a combined group. Thus, a lot of the conversations we have about projects and papers occur in our combined group. In other words, the default is for us to conduct our work at the larger group level, although we also have smaller meetings to address more detailed or specific interests as needed by the graduate students.
  • There are a lot more opportunities than people, meaning that you shouldn't ever feel like you have to fight for opportunities or resources in the lab. We strongly value collaboration and support in the group and we also have a lot more available to do than everyone has time for.

Mentorship

Dr. Twohig works from a junior colleague mentorship model. This means that you and he work in a collaborative relationship. As you get more talented you will take the lead on more. His hope is that you are a fully functional professional by the time you leave. Hopefully, you are confident at the job you will do after leaving USU. You can read an article Dr. Twohig wrote about our mentorship approach after receiving an ABCT mentorship award here.

Dr. Levin similarly works from a junior colleague mentorship model. For a more detailed description of Dr. Levin's mentorship style and what to expect as a graduate student click here.